(Newser)
–
A magnitude-6.4 earthquake struck Tuesday near the coast of Taiwan, killing two hotel employees and injuring 144 other people, officials said. The Central News Agency reports that the ground floor of the Marshal Hotel, a building in Hualien district, had caved in and people were believed to be trapped inside, per the AP. Other high-rise buildings were left tilting or collapsed, reports the BBC. The US Geological Survey said the quake struck late Tuesday about 13 miles northeast of Hualien on the island's east coast. The earthquake followed one over the weekend off the coast of Hualien, which lies along the famed "Pacific Rim of Fire" known for seismic activity from Alaska to Southeast Asia. (Read more earthquake stories.)